Ch.167Creating the Truth (2)

A world where everyone is equal. It was a grand ideal. Niobe recalled her past. The world her senior spoke of would be one where, at the very least, people wouldn’t have to worry about tomorrow’s survival.

After deep contemplation, Niobe shook her head.

“Even so, senior, it’s still impossible. We can’t concentrate all ten commandments on one person, and at the same time, that person shouldn’t covet them. Since we can’t entrust the ten commandments to a magician, as you said, anti-magicians would be crucial as another leadership of the revolution. But would anti-magicians cooperate with a magician’s plan?”

Ortes smiled.

“Actually, Miss Niobe.”

I know an anti-magician who wants to destroy the ten commandments.

***

I sighed. The recruitment was finally settled. Under the pretext of an anti-magician who wants to destroy the ten commandments, I had also laid groundwork for the destruction of the White Light.

I had successfully implanted the sophistry that an anti-magician’s demand to destroy the ten commandments could be quite an attractive proposal if limited to destroying just one of them rather than all ten.

The three points I used as the basis for my ridiculous presentation on the positive effects of destroying a commandment were:

First, by destroying the ten commandments as a symbol of magical society, we could satisfy the anti-magicians’ desire to destroy magic. Since the ten commandments are the most powerful foundation of the Ten Towers system, destroying these sources of their power could partially fulfill the anti-magicians’ ideals.

Second was the damage to the integrity of the ten commandments. The ten commandments are sacred objects containing the wisdom of the Magic King—profound wisdom that records the entire current magical system. In other words, whoever possesses all ten commandments might potentially stand on equal footing with the Magic King, at least in terms of magical theory.

Destroying one of the ten commandments would fundamentally block such attempts. It would be a preemptive measure against the emergence of another ultimate magical dictator like the Magic King.

And finally…

“Revolution needs public support.”

“What does that have to do with destroying a commandment?!”

“Because it’s the clearest declaration of our intention not to follow the same path as the Ten Towers. By destroying a commandment, we can simultaneously gain attention for our revolution and public support.”

Niobe reluctantly accepted that there might be some forced utility in destroying a commandment.

“…Let’s talk about that later. Now I need to return to Blasphemia.”

“Yes. When everything is over, and it’s time to determine the direction of the revolution.”

Now Niobe would take action. She would recruit personnel within Blasphemia, reorganize the organization borrowing Salmosia’s name and power, and ultimately become their leader.

In normal times, it would take considerable time, but with the secret strategy I provided, that time could be drastically reduced.

***

Carisia, who had been listening to my explanation up to this point, asked:

“What is that ‘secret strategy’?”

“Ah. It’s nothing special. Just documents that are effective because it’s Blasphemia.”

I explained the details of the strategy. That the leadership of Arguilion was Blasphemia is now an open secret among the upper echelons of the Ten Towers.

“So I gave her a list of high-ranking Blasphemia officials who had various connections with Arguilion members. I also added some spicy facts to season it.”

Adusiam was a great help. Since the creator was the same as the Magic King, it was easy to disguise communications as Arguilion frequencies.

“I created several suspicious communication records that could be mistaken for secret communications with Arguilion. From the perspective of those being accused, they’ll be jumping mad, insisting they were just missed calls.”

Arabel went through a lot of trouble with everything from forging Adusiam signals to inserting conversation records. It was much better than starting from scratch, since I had a communication channel I’d obtained from Salmosia.

After hearing my explanation, Carisia’s expression became peculiar.

“You… Do you have some grudge against Blasphemia?”

“Grudge? I’m just choosing the best strategy available right now.”

I recalled the time when I was being chased through the desert with Carisia. That was quite an ordeal in many ways.

Since most of Blasphemia’s key magicians disappeared instantly during the Golden Desert operation, I figured their leader must be having a hard time too. I thought they’d be suffering enough without me needing to get revenge.

But what’s this? According to what I heard from Niobe, the leader was comfortably secluded somewhere?

While those who became Arguilion, including Haltos, were suffering, the remaining leadership seemed to be living well. If someone had to take responsibility for Arguilion’s defection, the leader should have lost their head first, yet they were still in seclusion.

An opportune moment had arrived. A chance to both establish Niobe as a new power axis and to make an old enemy drink water (suffer).

“Well. Since most of the Ten Towers leadership is currently preparing for the expedition, things won’t escalate too much. But it will be difficult for them to counter Niobe’s moves to take control of Blasphemia.”

Hearing my words, Carisia fell into thought.

“Ortes.”

“Yes.”

“Do you really intend to entrust the future world to Niobe?”

I nodded. Carisia asked for the reason with her eyes.

“I don’t plan to leave it solely to Niobe. More commandments might explode than what I told Niobe. If we can’t prevent the Magic King’s advent, that is.”

Carisia smiled, perhaps recalling her proposed “11 consecutive explosions of the ten commandments plan.”

“I plan to assign roles in managing the post-revolution world to Knemon and Lampades as well. To keep society functioning adequately.”

“You sound like you have no intention of involving yourself in such a society.”

I nodded again. I’ve never been particularly interested in power. I’ve always planned to retire at an appropriate time and live a life of leisure, and that hasn’t changed.

“Reform, revolution—these are difficult matters for me. Once this is over, I’ll just stretch out somewhere quiet and live.”

“Ah,” Carisia murmured.

“Money is a social contract. If we shatter the entire magical society, money will be meaningless for a while. So you…”

A faint smile appeared on Carisia’s lips. It was closer to a hollow laugh born of incredulity than genuine amusement.

“You want to keep society functioning so you can live comfortably?”

“Precisely, boss.”

Of course, there were other calculations too. Aren’t we trying to secure the ten commandments to fight against the Magic King? If we completely destroy magical society so that no other force exists and Hydra Company monopolizes it, there would be no resistance to making the bombs.

However, we would severely lack the flexibility to deal with other moves the Magic King might make, such as attacks from different directions like Arguilion and mental parasites.

Considering the mythical era, it’s clear the Magic King had not only individual might but also excellent strategic talents. Or even if his talent itself was ordinary, he might have compensated for deficiencies with sheer power.

The level of the Magic King’s military talent itself wasn’t important. What mattered was that the Magic King could lead armies.

Right after his resurrection, the only forces the Magic King could move would be Arguilion. But as time passed, the number of legions he could command would increase. After all, he could draw troops from thin air.

Whether golems or undead, the Magic King could create all kinds of magical creatures on an extraordinary scale.

Isn’t Adusiam, still crackling in the isolation lab, proof of that?

To deal with such mass attacks, the number of our troops would be equally important. We couldn’t rely solely on a decisive weapon and dismiss all regular soldiers.

In fact, the most important part remained: could ordinary magicians have the will to resist the Magic King?

I had devised countermeasures for this too, but it was uncertain how things would unfold when we actually had to fight the Magic King.

‘…It would be best if we could block the resurrection in advance.’

Whether aware of my complex calculations or not, Carisia muttered something incomprehensible.

“Well. For me too, Hydra Company was just a means to access the ten commandments, not the goal. Once everything is done, should we just hand it over and disappear together?”

Nodding, Carisia looked at me again.

“So Niobe and Kinero are the two who will cause division within the Ten Towers?”

“Yes. And as external forces to the Ten Towers, I plan to insert Knemon and Lampades at the appropriate time. A position for Old Man Hector. A position for the Divine Faith Order. And a position in our name.”

“So seven positions will be filled with people you can directly or indirectly influence.”

“Those people all have their own interests, so they won’t blindly follow our words. But we should be able to handle most agenda items as we wish.”

Our most important agenda is the destruction of the ten commandments…

…disguised as turning them into White Light bombs.

To Niobe, who will represent the public will, we’ll claim that the commandments must be detonated due to strong demands from anti-magicians.

With the justification that weaponizing the commandments will prepare a decisive weapon to use against the resurrected Magic King and prevent the birth of a second Magic King, we can easily persuade the Divine Faith Order.

Old Man Hector, as the representative of a group originally intending to defeat the Magic King, will gladly agree. Knemon, being a revolutionary, has similar inclinations.

Lampades is the problem… Let’s try to persuade him slowly. The situation has changed drastically since I asked him to serve as a rear evacuation point.

Carisia smiled with satisfaction. It was such a refreshing smile that it felt somewhat ominous.

“What about propaganda for agitation?”

“Once Blasphemia is under control, we plan to use them to spread it. After all, official authority is the fastest channel for disseminating information.”

“Now we just need to confirm the Ten Towers’ departure date.”

“At most a month. They’ll depart within that time. The longer they wait, the stronger Arguilion’s defenses will become.”

A burglary against the Ten Towers.

Its realization was drawing near.